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NEWS > SCIENCE >NEW HUBBLE IMAGES SHOW A BUNCH OF LITTLE LIGHTS
NEW HUBBLE IMAGES SHOW A BUNCH OF LITTLE LIGHTS
September 10 2009
Washington, D.C. – The Hubble Space Telescope has without a doubt provided scientists and astronomers with some of the clearest and deepest images of our Universe that have ever been produced. Troubles early in its life made the orbiting 
telescope the butt of many jokes but since coming to full power in 1993 it has redeemed itself in spades with the most startling images of the heavens ever produced. Even now as the telescope enters its dying days it is still sending back compelling and important images of how our universe works.
That is until recently. With the telescope expected to live well into 2014, due in large part to a servicing mission in May, many had hoped that telescope would continue to send back the type of images NASA and its partners had been receiving for years. Instead, the most recent image sent back by the telescope shows a clustered group of lights which NASA officials insist are teeming 
numbers of stars. Critics though are questioning the new image, the viability of the shuttle, and the costs associated with maintain and repairing the telescope especially given such limited returns of late.
“Scientists have been insisting for years that Hubble has been sending back important images and data about the beginning of the Universe but the truth is the device is simply sending back very pretty images that they use to try and convince the public that their money is well spent. The images we have seen in the past are very beautiful but they prove little, as is the case with this most recent image,” said David Friend, Chief Hubble critic. “They have gotten away with passing
such images off as important for years but I think this time they have made their final mistake. A bunch of twinkling
lights does not equal a great scientific discovery. I made those kinds of images playing with my Lite-Brite when I was a kid. NASA is spending millions on something a four year old could have made and the public needs to know that.”
The new image, reputedly of the globular cluster Omega Centauri, shows just some of the estimated ten million stars present in the area. Many also question the veracity of the image due to the exceptionally large numbers being bandied about.
“One can certainly understand the criticism. Much like the movie ‘Jaws’, mystery can be
more compelling than clarity. While it may in fact be true that Omega Centauri has ten million stars the number is so mind boggling for many people that they automatically reject it on that principle. By rejecting the number they reject the concepts driving it as well,” said Scrape TV Science analyst Dr. Howard Poe. “The fact that the picture doesn’t look necessarily otherworldly also adds to the difficulty in accepting it as real for many people. Of course, many of those people are predisposed to not believing in the first place and the first hint of something a little funky would push them towards scepticism. This picture though does look like a lot of little lights.”
Scientists explained that the effect displayed in the picture is due to the large number of stars in the cluster and their proximity to one another which is believed to be as little as 0.1 light years from each other.
“The real danger here, and this danger has existed throughout history, is that techno
babble overcomes the layman and they start to reject everything on that principle. Many people have a basic scientific literacy now so certain terms and concepts aren’t as foreign as they would have been say a hundred years ago,” continued Poe. “There are limits though and NASA and other groups need to be careful that they don’t push people too far. Most people react angrily when faced with the possibility of their own ignorance. They also react angrily when they feel they are being scammed, especially when it’s them footing the bill. True you may have been able to create this image but it’s unlikely that a Lite-Brite would have given such a crystal clear image. LED’s would probably have worked better.”
NASA denied having ordered a massive quantity of LED bulbs in recent months from a manufacturer in Idaho despite that’s companies insistence.
Anna Phillips, Science Correspondent
NEWS > SCIENCE >NEW HUBBLE IMAGES SHOW A BUNCH OF LITTLE LIGHTS
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